That's how things have been around here the past few days! So much going on, so much stress, so many amazingly good things...around and around we go......
First of all I wish to apologize for a sentence in a previous post that, as someone has pointed out to me, could be construed as being rather arrogant. It wasn't meant that way at all, but re-reading it after my friend's comment I can see how it could be taken that way. The sentence went something like this: "Unlike some people I have no problem with the idea that I am a sinner.....".
The first 3 words of that sentence conveyed the wrong message to my friend. All I meant was that while it is no longer fashionable, even in some Christians circles to use the words "sin" and "sinner", I personally do not mind confessing that I am indeed guilty before the Lord. If other people don't want to feel that wayand/or use those words, that is up to them and not for me to judge.
Moving on: the other night my husband and I finally got our date night before he leaves on his next out of province trip. We decided we were too tired to be adventurous, so returned to our old favourite, the Knotted Thistle for a quiet dinner. My husband enjoyed his chicken burger and I tried their salmon fillet with coconut and ground lime on a bed of mixed sauteed veggies in a mild teriyaki style dressing.
Any chef worth his apron would have been most disappointed with the salmon, but it was done the way this unsophisticated palate likes it best: somewhat overcooked. hahaha Unfortunately the salmon was served sitting on top of the veggies and sauce skin side down, so any crispyness was gone, to be replaced by a soggy, fatty skin I couldn't eat. However, the taste of the salmon with the lime grind and the perfectly sauteed veggies more than made up for that one cooking error. Yum!
Other places I have tried fairly recently include Sweet, at the corner of Broad Street and College Avenue. It has changed hands sometime in recent months and I didn't enjoy my lunch all that much. The great part was the almost proper Greek salad (not so much as a sliver of lettuce, hallelujah, amongst the cherry tomatoes, feta, cucumber, red onion and black olives, but there was no green pepper, not hallelujah). As well, the veggie sticks served with my half sandwich were fresh and clean and tasty. There was a teensy weensy container of ranch dressing, but I didn't eat it. The sandwich wasn't great. I ordered half of a roasted chicken sandwich. It came on marbled bread that had obviously been toasted well before the chicken, mayo, lettuce and tomatoes were added, so although it had a nice flavour, by the time it was served it was cold and stale. The roast chicken was only one step up from pressed deli meat: there were rounds of white chicken meat that can be purchased in deli departments by the bagful. Those rounds have the texture and taste that I would imagine could be similar to strips of wood laminate....blecch! However, all the veggies were wonderful, fresh, clean and tasty. I am glad I tried returning to Sweet, but I don't think I will go back for more than a cup of tea on occasion when I need a break in my walk home from downtown. Well...maybe for a Greek salad.....
Last night we went to Moose Jaw to have a marvellous BBQ dinner with long time friends. We love all the new friends we have been making, but there is something special about a group of friends who know each other so very well that sometimes very little actually has to be said in order for them to understand each others' situations. It was a FINE evening.
We toasted each other with some Italian wines our friend received from a tiny winery, north of Milan, near the Croatian border. It was just wonderful stuff. Soon it will be available in Saskatchewan. We tried both the red and the white during our little tasting session. We also tried a rose that was truly not up to snuff, so most of that ended up being poured down the sink. Eek!!
For our meal, our hosts BBQ'd fresh cobs of corn, fresh yellow green beans, beef and pork sausage, amazing organic steaks of beef and we added all these wonderful items to plates of potato salad and green salad with garden fresh greens, herbs and tomatoes, huge mediterranean green olives, home made bread and South African vinegar and oil dip. Slabs of chocolate, newly arrived from Mexico, served with a thimblefull of Santori whiskey on ice completed our amazing meal. The food was as wonderful as the visit itself. Urp!
My husband was up bright and early this morning to head off to the office for a finance committee meeting...what a let down after last evening's festivities! hahaha
Talked to my parents this morning. Dad is sounding so very weak and he was a tad confused. It was well after 10am when I called them, but they were still finshing breakfast. Dad repeated all the same news he gave me a couple of days previously and he rarely does that, so I know he isn't in great shape at the moment. Mom had to correct some of the details, even though she heard the last conversation, as she also forgot they told me all ready. I feel so badly that they are both reaching this stage in life.
My friend that I asked for prayer for a few posts back, about some test results, has those results and the lump she found is cancer. I am driving her next week to appointments with her oncologist and surgeon as she heads into the first steps of removing the tumor, the analysis, more tests and then possible treatment options. I feel just ill thinking of what she is facing. She beat a different cancer all ready twenty years ago and has had no problems until now. Please, as you feel led, continue to pray for Dee Dee...not only for her body and what it will have to endure over the coming months, but also for her peace of mind. She lives alone and has no family in the city.
The sky outside today is nearly black with high altitude forest fire smoke. We have been smoke free for well over a week now, so it was kind of a surprise to smell it off and on while walking to the pharmacy this morning. The temperature is quite warm and there is a nice breeze, so the walk was enjoyable but it looks like it could snow according to the colour of the sky! I feel just sick about all the people being effected by fires in their areas of the continent.
Japan certainly got walloped with that earthquake the other day. The whole island of Hokkaido has been effected. Sapporo is such a beautiful city and I hate to think of the damage and loss of lives in that area. We visited Hokkaido over a decade ago now and it was a spectacular place to spend a week.
I am counting down the days until our son leaves for Italy. It is wonderful to hear him on the phone sounding so excited and happy. We told him to take a lot of pictures on his phone as Italy is a place his dad and I will probably never get to see for ourselves.
I did the laundry late this week...o my, it has been a LONG time since I did a full day of clothes washing. Four hours of ironing later, a half hour of folding and putting away, and I can relax for another week...or so.... I washed one of my husband's better albs for him to take to Timmins on Monday. Now I just have to check on what colours of stoles he will need for the clericus there. He is the chaplain for the Diocese of Moosonee's clericus and is really looking forward to it. An old seminary buddy is their new Executive Archdeacon, so the two of them can exchange notes about the job.
My church congregation returns tomorrow to their winter meeting time of 11am Sunday mornings. Tomorrow is Kick Off Sunday and it will be my first Sunday singing in the choir. I am so looking forward to that, but I need to do some vocal exercises this afternoon to make some attempt to get my breathing back in shape. After church there is a BBQ, so that should be fun.
I meant to put a ton of plans in place for this coming week while my husband is away, but have been too busy to get with it. Other than my friend coming for a walk around the lake tomorrow I have not had time to consider what else I should be doing socially. I will have Old Testament group one evening and the first choir practise of the term another evening, but my daytimes are stretching out starkly before me. Must fix this situation!
I am hoping and praying that my new glasses arrive this week. I am anxious now to get them adjusted and get wearing them before the frames on my old pair fall completely apart. I will not miss the scratch in the old lenses either! haha
Tomorrow evening I MUST discipline myself to get to sleep by 9pm in order to cope with our 4:30am start the next morning. My husband's flight leaves at 6am.
Better go and get the dishwasher unloaded and find some constructive work to do around here!
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